Marduk Live in Singapore, Singapore

Marduk

the Tuesday 07 December 2010

A few months back when it was announced that black metal legends,Mardukare heading to Asia, there was a huge buzz, and once it was confirmed that they wereindeedstopping overSingapore, metalheads started going crazy. Although this show wasn't entirely smooth sailing, with problems arising from people complaining about having a black metal band performinSingapore, the event was eventually allowed to go on with the condition that the show is rated M-18.

Whatever the case, it wasn't going to stop the show from going on. While the gates of hell open only around 8pm, crowds could be seen gathering from around 5pm. When the time finally came, the crowds went crazy and streamed into The Substation. Unfortunately, the spot I managed to get was at the right side of the stage, rightinfront of a monitor (which could be a good thing with ear plugs, I eventually realised!). But this was going to be one of the most intense show that I have ever been to.

At around 8.45, the lights dimmed and chants of "Marduk!" reverberated throughout the venue until the band finally appeared on stage. A nice selection of songs from the debut album, Dark Endless, all the way to last year's Wormwood were played, leaving no ground uncovered. Crowd favourites such as Panzer DivisionMardukand Baptism by Fire instantly caused the crowd to go wild, leaving everyone craving for more.

While standing at the opposite end from Morgan led to me being unable to clearly hear the guitar, it was good to hear the prominent bass lines throughout the show (knowing how important these were forMarduk's songs). Despite the minimal crowd interaction (after all, what kind of crowd interaction would you expect for a black metal show?), Mortuus' stage presence was undeniable, with him constantly drenching himselfinwater before every song. One more thing that caught my attention was how Lars, with his insane drumming, could keep up with the rest of the band, since songs were mostly sped up compared to the audio recordings.

After a good 1 hour, the show ended but the crowd wasn't about to disperse yet. After another 30 minutes of waiting, the band finally came out of the venue much to the delight of those who decided to stay behind, giving everyone the chance to catch a photo or an autograph with the band. Unfortunately, they had only 15 minutes so not everyone managed to get their stuff signed.

Once again, kudos to Cynical Sounds for organising yet another memorable gig. I would also like to shout out to the Cynical Sounds crew, without which the barriersinfront of the stage would have collapsed with the intensity of the show and crowd.

Originally written for Heavy Metal Tribune (http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/)